After spending five minutes with Kaori Sakauye, you feel her energetic spirit and compassion for helping senior adults in our community. She retired from the City of Sacramento in 2019 and still maintains a busy schedule.
Kaori loves her role as a Friendly Visitor for ACC’s Friendly Visitor/In Home Respite Program. Nationwide, Friendly Visitor programs connect older adults with volunteers for regular social interaction.
She explains why she volunteers, “There’s a similar program in Japan that’s helping my 93-year old mother. I signed up two years ago to be an ACC Friendly Visitor volunteer.” She spends two hours, once a week with her program participants. “One of my seniors is a retired attorney and loves to chat about politics while we stroll through her garden. My other senior has a progressive disease, and we play board games during weekly visits.”
In between her senior visits, the rest of her week is consumed with teaching and performing taiko drumming. Kaori was born in Saitama, Japan, but didn’t take up taiko until she moved to California and joined the Sacramento Taiko Dan in 1993. “One day, my Sensei, Tiffany Tamaribuchi, asked me to help teach taiko at Koyasan Temple. She suggested I train with a professional instructor in Japan. I studied there for two years.”
Kaori also leads a Drum Circle for memory care residents at McMahon Terrace twice a month; and teaches taiko at the Hart Senior Center twice a week.
She learned that taiko drumming could be beneficial to individuals living with Parkinson’s. She approached the Parkinson’s Support Group at ACC with the idea of introducing drumming to their members. The Tuesday afternoon class only started six months ago, but it’s already popular with participants like Dennis Wong. He adds, “As a recently diagnosed person with Parkinson’s, I understand the importance of physical activity. I’m glad that ACC offers this special activity for us. Kaori exudes patience and warmth as she teaches us the fine art of taiko.”
Kaori also teaches two other taiko classes at ACC on Wednesdays.
Her longtime passion is Hello Kitty. Kaori shared an interesting factoid with me: the cat doesn’t have a mouth. The design choice is deliberate, allowing people to communicate through their heart rather than words.
She loves the outdoors. “In my younger days, I completed 10 marathons and more than 70 half-marathons. Now I just walk around my Pocket neighborhood. We try to fit in standup paddle boarding at Lake Natoma when we have free time,” says Kaori.
Kaori is devoted to her family. She met husband David during their years of performing taiko. They married in the Koyasan Temple in 2002. Their son, also David, will soon graduate with a degree in Anthropology from Sacramento State. Kaori makes an annual trip to Japan to see her relatives. Kaori adds, “I appreciate the help my mother gets in Japan. I’m happy to do the same for others in our ACC family.”
If you or someone you know would like to volunteer for ACC’s Friendly Visitor program, call 916-503-5386 or send an email to: resources@accsv.org to get more information.
